The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- News Analysis: The NCA, One Year On
- Villagers Flee Maungdaw Security Operations
- Aid Delegation Meets Displaced Arakan State Communities
- Sagaing Ferry Accident Kills at Least 29
- Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Goes to India
- Giant Jade Stone Uncovered in Kachin State
- Food Price Hikes, Livelihood Restrictions in Maungdaw as Manhunt Continues
- Maungdaw Police Chief Replaced
- Late Thai King’s Confidant Confirmed as Temporary Regent
| News Analysis: The NCA, One Year On Posted: 17 Oct 2016 09:25 AM PDT  Attendees at the one-year commemoration of the signing of the nationwide ceasefire agreement in Naypyidaw. (Photo: Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy) Saturday marked the first anniversary of the signing of the controversial nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) by the previous government and eight non-state armed groups, including those belonging to the Karen, Shan, Chin and Pa-O, among others. The occasion was commemorated in Naypyidaw by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the current National League for Democracy government. Leaders highlighted the need to work toward building peace and national reconciliation. Yet, one year on, fighting is ongoing in the northern parts of the country, and clashes have renewed between NCA signatories like the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and the Burma Army. Armed Organizations as 'Fire Extinguishers' In the past, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has highlighted her own role in the peace process as that of a mediator or negotiator. On the NCA anniversary, she called on the cooperation of others in moving forward. "Organizations should not compete in their fire power, but rather, vie to extinguish the fire," said the State Counselor in her address, which not did name specific armed groups, but pointed out that stakeholders which should be included are being left out. There is also a continued Burma Army offensive against the Kachin Independence Army—which opted out of signing the NCA—in Kachin and northern Shan states. Saw Mutu Say Poe, chair of the Karen National Union, spoke at the anniversary event on behalf of the NCA signatories. "I would like to call for the government and Tatmadaw in all seriousness to ease their policies and suspend the use of force in order to pave way for non-signatories to sign the NCA," he said. Forty days before the anniversary, the NLD government concluded the Union Peace Conference, known as the 21st Century Panglong, in Naypyidaw, with both signatories and non-signatories of the NCA participating. The framework on future political dialogue is being reviewed in order for it to include all armed group stakeholders. From there, political talks are to be held at the state and regional level. But those who have not signed the NCA would not have the opportunity to hold such talks; the Tatmadaw pointed out that it would be beyond the reach of the NCA. In his speech, army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing reiterated that "without signing the NCA pact, any initiatives toward a national level meeting should not be attempted." Indeed, Burma's biggest armed force, the Tatmadaw, has lacked any demonstration of magnanimity toward the country's ethnic armed groups. Could the UNFC Members Become NCA Signatories? Despite setbacks over the past year, the seven-member non-signatory coalition of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) expressed optimism toward the peace process after meeting government peace negotiators on Saturday afternoon in Naypyidaw. "Signing NCA could become possible as now the government has agreed to some of [the points in] our proposal," head of the UNFC's delegation for political negotiations (DPN) Khu Oo Reh told the press after the meeting, and added that further discussion on military affairs is still needed. The UNFC stakeholders will meet with the government again in early November, according to Hla Maung Shwe, the adviser to the government's peace commission. The team is optimistic that the UNFC's DPN will join a review meeting on the framework for political dialogue this week in Rangoon. New Roadmap The State Counselor, who is also the head of the National Reconciliation and Peace Center, laid out an updated seven-step road map toward achieving national reconciliation and peace at the Union level. It includes the review and amendment of the political dialogue framework, the convening of a peace conference [every six months] through the approved framework, and the signing of an agreement based on the results of the conferences. The roadmap further describes a plan to amend the 2008 Constitution based on the future peace agreement, with the ultimate goal outlined as building a democratic federal union through the holding of multi-party general elections. Currently the stakeholders are engaged in the first step, a review of the dialogue framework, which has been ongoing since before the commencement of the Union peace conference in late August. Citizens of Burma are familiar with such roadmaps, which were introduced under the junta in 2003, as well as under the previous quasi-civilian government in 2015, based on the original text of the NCA. Article 20 described the seven steps as: signing the NCA, drafting a framework for political dialogue, holding national talks based on the framework and working on the process of "security reintegration," holding the Union Peace Conference, signing a Union-level accord, getting the accord ratified by the Parliament, and implementing the agreement and security reintegration process. One year later, around half of the steps have been implemented. "The current government should continue implementing the rest of the steps," said a former staff member of the Myanmar Peace Center—which operated under ex-President Thein Sein—speaking under the condition of anonymity. The new roadmap, he said, is the same as the NCA's, with the exception of the State Counselor's suggestion that the Constitution be amended after the signing of a Union-level peace accord. The post News Analysis: The NCA, One Year On appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Villagers Flee Maungdaw Security Operations Posted: 17 Oct 2016 08:56 AM PDT  Dozens of Maungdaw residents flee their homes in rural Maungdaw Township to Arakan State capital Sittwe on Friday afternoon. (Photo: Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy) The Arakan State Chief Minister conducted a meeting with civil society organizations on Monday morning on how to shelter hundreds of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in state capital Sittwe, according to city resident U Thar Pwint, who attended the meeting. U Thar Pwint said that as of Monday morning about 800 IDPs who have fled homes in Maungdaw Township in northern Arakan State are depending on several Buddhist monasteries in Sittwe for support. After alleged militants attacked border police checkpoints on Oct. 9, killing nine police officers and looting firearms and ammunitions, military security operations have resulted in several dozen deaths among the army, the police and alleged Islamic militants in Maungdaw Township and have caused villagers to flee. Arakan State Chief Minister U Nyi Pu agreed to open a temporary camp at Danyawaddy sports grounds in Sittwe where IDPs—mainly women, children, and the elderly—are provided with food, clothes, and mosquito nets. The Irrawaddy contacted Arakan State spokesperson U Min Aung to learn more about the relocation plan but he was unavailable for comment. Social activist and Sittwe resident Ko Wai Hun Aung was surprised to hear the number of IDPs in Sittwe had risen to 800 from merely 200 a few days ago. The number of IDPs is also climbing in Maungdaw where Buddhist Arakanese residents—who are estimated to make up less than 10 percent of Maungdaw and neighboring Buthidaung townships—continue fleeing from countryside villages to Maungdaw town. Ko Wai Hun Aung was distributing food to IDPs in Maungdaw and said that about 1,500 people are relying on aid in Buthidaung and 450 in Maungdaw downtown monasteries. "Most of the displaced persons are now in Buthidaung town because they believe the security force is better than in downtown Maungdaw," he said. Ko Wai Hun Aung said that although they have not been attacked, IDPs are concerned about safety in Maungdaw Township's rural areas because the small Buddhist Arakanese villages are surrounded by Muslim villages. Buddhist and Muslim communities in Arakan State, also known as Rakhine State, remain largely segregated since anti-Muslim violence in 2012 and 2013, which displaced around 140,000 people, the majority of them self-identifying Muslim Rohingya. The government does not recognize the Rohingya among Burma's official ethnic groups, and instead labels them as "Bengali." Irrawaddy reporters on the ground have reported during the recent skirmishes in northern Arakan State, many Rohingya have also fled their villages. The Burma Army has been blocking media access to rural areas of Maungdaw Township where security operations are taking place, on the grounds that it is unsafe, and many local Rohingya have been fearful of talking to media. Some Maungdaw Township villagers have remained in rural areas to watch over property and land. When speaking to The Irrawaddy they said that everything was calm. On Monday afternoon, Union ministers who visited Arakan State last week held a press conference in Naypyidaw. According to the government press release, five soldiers have been killed since operations begun. A total of 29 suspected militants have been killed and another 29 suspects are currently detained for interrogation. According to local sources, the bodies of three Arakanese villagers who had been missing since Oct. 10 were reportedly found near the Pyint Phyu village on Monday afternoon. It was unclear how or when they died and calls to Maungdaw police officials went unanswered. The post Villagers Flee Maungdaw Security Operations appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Aid Delegation Meets Displaced Arakan State Communities Posted: 17 Oct 2016 07:23 AM PDT  Members of an aid delegation tour IDP camps surrounding Sittwe on Friday. (Photo: Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy) SITTWE, Arakan State — A delegation from the United Nations (UN), led by the under-secretary general of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), visited displaced communities outside of the Arakan State capital of Sittwe on Friday. Reporters from The Irrawaddy accompanied Stephen O'Brien, who also serves as UN OCHA's emergency relief coordinator, on the trip to one of the region's internally displaced people's (IDP) camps which have housed disproportionate numbers of the Rohingya Muslim minority since riots forced an estimated 140,000 people from their homes in 2012. The delegation first visited Thet Kae Pyin IDP camp—isolated behind police checkpoints—and met Rohingya community leaders who asked O'Brien when they might be able to return to their homes and attain greater freedom of movement. "I worry a lot about what will happen to my children's generation, as they do not have education," one leader said. Khin Sein, a Rohingya midwife, spoke at the meeting of the difficulty faced by those in the camp regarding access to health care. If someone is sick and needs to go to a hospital in Sittwe, she said, they must rent a car and be accompanied by security forces. The cost of this trip alone can be 20,000-30,000 kyats (US$15-$23). Upon arriving at the hospital, "we have to ask the police to buy food for us," Khin Sein added. "If they do not, then we will have no food to eat." Income is difficult to come by in the camps, as jobs are scarce, limited to trishaw operation, the cultivation of small vegetable plots, and occasional fishing. Many Rohingya once owned tea shops, restaurants, and markets in Sittwe prior to the 2012 riots. Kyaw Hla, an elderly Rohingya community leader, was once a politician. He expressed frustration with the lack of recognition provided to the Muslim minority, who are labeled as "Bengali" by the government and have largely seen their citizenship revoked. Even ex-dictator Ne Win recognized us as Rohingya, he said, unlike Burma's last president, Thein Sein, who "treated us as outsiders," a policy which he pointed out has continued. "We have our house registration and our businesses there [in Sittwe]. But they took it," he said, referring to the Arakanese Buddhist residents in the capital. Some Arakanese were also displaced in the riots, and were resettled; the WFP delegation also visited one such resettlement site. At a meeting with the Arakanese community, UN OCHA's O'Brien asked if there had been any recent communication with local Muslims. A group of women present in the meeting collectively said no. "Why do we have to keep in touch with them?" she said. "We wish and pray to never stay with them again." O'Brien reminded the people present that the delegation was a humanitarian group and could not take sides, but rather, listen to people's needs in order to improve their situation. On the way back to Sittwe, a representative from the delegation said that after hearing from both sides, no solution was yet in sight to the crisis. The post Aid Delegation Meets Displaced Arakan State Communities appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Sagaing Ferry Accident Kills at Least 29 Posted: 17 Oct 2016 07:03 AM PDT  Location of the rescue operation near Michaung Dwin village in Kani Township. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) RANGOON—Rescuers have recovered at least 29 bodies after a ferry carrying some 300 passengers capsized on the Chindwin River in Sagaing Division's Kani Township on Saturday, the township General Administration Department (GAD) said on Monday. The privately owned Aung Soe Moe Kyaw-2 ferry, transporting passengers from Homalin to Monywa, reportedly sank in the river near Michaung Dwin village early on Saturday morning, according to the local emergency rescue team. A total of 159 survivors have been found and were provided temporary shelter at hospitals and monasteries near the village, a GAD official at the location of the rescue operation told The Irrawaddy on Monday. Of those killed, 23 were women and six were men; the death toll of the accident is expected to climb, the official said. Lower House lawmaker U Tun Tun Naing of Kani Township said that the accident was allegedly "the result of negligence" of the helmsman. He added that the helmsman and the owner of the overcrowded ferry both went missing after the incident. S Willy Frient, Director of the Sagaing Division's Relief and Resettlement Department said that the ferry was found on Monday and that the rescue team was trying to salvage it. The ferry was carrying close to 300 passengers and 18 motorcycles while the maximum capacity of the ferry is between 120 and 150 passengers, according to the director. "It was filled way beyond its capacity," he told The Irrawaddy. "It is believed that the ferry had life jackets but these were only sufficient to cover one-tenth of the total passengers it was carrying," he added. He also noted that ferry owners usually travel with their boats and that they fill ferries beyond capacity to earn more money. The Irrawaddy tried reaching officials from Sagaing Division's Inland Water Transport Department who were at the location of the rescue operation on Monday, but they were not available to comment. The post Sagaing Ferry Accident Kills at Least 29 appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Goes to India Posted: 17 Oct 2016 06:23 AM PDT  India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi at the Bimstec summit in Goa, India. (Photo: Ministry of Information / Facebook) Historically, Burma has enjoyed strong relations with India, not with China. During the country's independence movement many Burmese politicians had great associations with India. Gen Aung San, Burma's independence hero, was closely connected to India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his family. Gen Ne Win, Burma's strong-man dictator, had close relations with the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her family. Buddhism travelled from India to Burma and today, an increasing number of Burmese pilgrims travel to Bodh Gaya in northern India, one of Buddhism’s holiest sites. The wily British—as many senior Burmese like to call them—administered Burma as a province of India when they colonized the country in the 19th Century. Burma's last monarch King Thibaw spent his final days as a prisoner of the British colonialists in India's Ratnagiri, a port city on the Arabian Sea. The king, his family, and many patriotic Burmese will never forgive the British. But when young students began to think of liberating their country from British rule, they looked to India and forged connections with politicians and activists there. Burma and India shared a common dream to be liberated from colonialism. During the colonial period, many wealthy Burmese parents sent their children to India to study. This week, State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi lands in Goa to attend the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (or Bimstec) summit. We will see if and how India's Burma policy will bring more meaningful engagement between the two countries. Likewise, Burma will re-engage India under a new government that is obviously struggling to rebalance its strategic relations with powerful China. There is no doubt that we share a common ground. New Delhi is hoping to strengthen warm relations with Burma and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is no stranger to India. Her mother Daw Khin Kyi served as ambassador to India in 1960, she became the first woman to serve as a head of the Burma mission abroad. A young Daw Aung San Suu Kyi went along. India's then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who knew Aung San, made a special arrangement for the Aung San family to live on New Delhi's 24 Akbar Road in a colonial-era complex designed by Edwin Lutyens. In late August this year, India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Burma and met with the State Counselor. New Delhi wanted Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to pay an official visit to India, but the new leader made a pragmatic decision to visit China instead. Instead, Burma's President U Htin Kyaw made a four-day visit to India in August. It was obvious, however, that New Delhi was looking to have a substantive dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, not with U Htin Kyaw. Burma shares a 1,600 km land boundary with India's northeastern states and India is anxious about a separatist movement on the India-Burma border. Ethnic rebels such as the Assamese, the Manipuri and the Naga have been known to take refuge in Burma and launch raids back across the border. During her visit, Swaraj received assurance that the Burmese government would not allow any insurgent groups to use its territory in attacks against India. Likewise, India offered to assist the new government in its uphill battle to transform an old system of government. New Delhi has been monitoring closely the recent attacks on the Burma-Bangladesh border by militants with alleged links to terrorist organizations. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will listen to the advice of her Indian counterparts. Aside from limiting China's influence over Burma, New Delhi wants to engage on the economic front—particularly the energy sector. India is said to be very interested in importing gas and oil from Burma. India's Look East policy—in which the country sought deeper relations with Southeast Asia—was well publicized, but many Burmese feel New Delhi's engagement lags behind that of Beijing's. In the geopolitical game, China is ahead of India in Burma. However, to put it frankly, China is not popular among the Burmese people. Since taking office, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi developed Look East into Act East. How India and Burma engage during Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's visit will be vital to his Southeast Asian policy. The post Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Goes to India appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Giant Jade Stone Uncovered in Kachin State Posted: 17 Oct 2016 05:52 AM PDT  A 210-ton jade stone has been unearthed in Hpakant, Kachin State (Photo: Shan Kyi / Facebook) RANGOON — A giant jade stone estimated to weigh 210 tons was uncovered in the jade mining hub of Hpakant in Kachin State last week and is now being guarded by police. "We can say it is the largest piece of jade ever unearthed in Burma," confirmed U Win Htein, director general from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation. The jade stone, measuring 19-feet long by 14-feet high by 15-feet wide, has not yet been valued and how to transport the stone is still under negotiation, according to U Win Htein. He told The Irrawaddy that the valuable stone was discovered at Yadanar Taung Tann Gems Co.'s mine, which is operating in a 60:40 joint venture with the ministry, in Sate Mu village, Hpakant Township last Monday. "A 3,000-ton piece was found in the state in [the year] 2000 but was not uncovered," U Win Htein said, making this the largest piece of jade unearthed in Burma. The previous slab of jade was more than 70-feet long by 20-feet high by 16-feet wide and donated to the ruling junta. A report released by the London-based NGO Global Witness in October last year revealed that vast revenues generated by Burma's jade trade continue to flow into the pockets of senior military officials and well-connected crony firms. The report titled "Jade: Myanmar's 'Big State Secret'" estimated that Burma's jade production was valued as high as US$31 billion for the year 2014. The government has announced that all remaining jade mining licenses will expire in 2018, and licenses will only be considered for renewal after the completion of an environmental management plan for jade mining areas of Kachin State. The post Giant Jade Stone Uncovered in Kachin State appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Food Price Hikes, Livelihood Restrictions in Maungdaw as Manhunt Continues Posted: 17 Oct 2016 03:35 AM PDT  Security forces conduct a manhunt through rural areas of Maungdaw Township, northern Arakan State, in pursuit of those behind recent attacks on border guard posts. (Photo: Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy) MAUNGDAW, Arakan State — As police and the Burma Army continue their manhunt across rural areas of Maungdaw Township in northern Arakan State for perpetrators of Oct. 9 attacks on border guard posts, Maungdaw locals face rising food prices and livelihood restrictions. While most of the estimated 250 attackers remain on the run—their precise identity unknown—police and locals have claimed that the Oct. 9 attacks were conducted with the crucial involvement of local Muslims, who mostly identify as Rohingya (but whom the government calls "Bengali"), with police casting suspicion on Rohingya caretakers at the border guard posts. In the hub town of Maungdaw, close to the Bangladesh border, roadblocks have been imposed at every entrance, and police and army personnel question each Muslim who passes. Last week, an existing curfew from 11p.m. – 4 a.m. was extended to 7 p.m. – 6 a.m. throughout Maungdaw District, and is rigorously enforced, making the town eerily quiet during curfew hours.  Security forces conduct a manhunt through rural areas of Maungdaw Township, northern Arakan State, in pursuit of those behind recent attacks on border guard posts. (Photo: Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy) Deliveries of food and commodities to Maungdaw town have been restricted, causing a sudden rise in prices. Since the attacks and the ensuing security clampdown, a bag of rice has gone from 24,000 to 28,000 kyats, one viss (a local measurement equaling 1.63 kilograms) has gone from 1,500 to 2,000 kyats, and one viss of cooking oil has leapt from 2,500 to 3,500 kyats. Even mobile phone users have been hit, with 5,000 kyat MPT top-up cards selling for 5,900 kyats. Authorities have banned local residents from going out to sea for fishing, which many Rohingya rely on for their livelihoods. Seafood has been scarce in local markets as a result. The Burma Army and the police have reportedly yet to secure the countryside, where operations have resulted in several dozen deaths among the army, the police and alleged Islamic militants. This has caused Buddhist Arakanese residents—who are estimated to make up less than 10 percent of Maungdaw and neighboring Buthidaung townships—to continue fleeing from villages to Maungdaw town, where they are staying at relatives' houses or at Buddhist monasteries. During the manhunt by police and the army, many Rohingya have also fled their villages—it is unclear to where. There have been conflicting, unverified reports of village houses being burned by either Burmese security forces or the militants behind the border guard post attacks. However, the Burma Army has been blocking media access to rural areas of the township where security operations are taking place, on the grounds that it is unsafe, and many local Rohingya have been fearful of talking to media. Irrawaddy reporters were stopped on Sunday by soldiers at Kyikanpin village in Maungdaw Township, the site of the border guard police headquarters attacked on Oct. 9, and prevented from traveling to Aung Mingalar village, four miles further north, in accordance with a high-level army order received that day.  Security forces conduct a manhunt through rural areas of Maungdaw Township, northern Arakan State, in pursuit of those behind recent attacks on border guard posts. (Photo: Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy) Police Col. Myo Lin Aung told reporters that the militants had been stashing weaponry in the vicinity of Aung Mingalar, as well as food provisions to last three months. Among police circles in Maungdaw Township, suspicion has fallen on Rohingya caretakers employed at the border guard headquarters and outposts that came under attack on Oct. 9, with some maintaining that their involvement was essential in the raids—for instance in seizing the 51 firearms, many of which were stored in hidden locations known to caretakers on the grounds and few others. Rohingya in are regularly employed as menial labor in government offices, police stations, and businesses owned by Buddhist Arakanese in northern Arakan State. The whereabouts of the caretakers at the border guard posts attacked on Oct. 9 does not appear to be known. Zaw Htoo, the Buddhist Arakanese administrator for Muslim-majority Ah Lel Than Kyaw village tract, in the southern coastal reaches of Maungdaw Township, said that, "Without local [Rohingya] people, they [the militants] could not have raided those police bases." He said that he personally recognized a man featured in a purported militant propaganda video that has circulated widely on social media—in which armed men call for Muslims to join a jihad in Arakan State to defend the Rohingya—and said he understood the dialect used in the video, which is the same as that spoken by local Muslims in the township. "No one from Bangladesh is involved in this [militant] group. They all are from the north of Maungdaw Township," he said. Ba Cho, a Rohingya from Ah Lie Than Kyaw who has worked as a medical officer for the government, shared Zaw Htoo's belief that the militants were local to northern Maungdaw Township. "We were surprised to hear of it. How could they do it? We have never heard of such a thing in all our lives," he said. "We do not support violence." Village tract administrator Zaw Htoo said they were "very worried for their security," since they could see the unregulated movement of people and goods on a daily basis across the river that separates the village cluster from Bangladesh. "They could transport guns by river," he said, and "go in and out of Bangladesh at any time." He said that Burmese authorities had seized a cache of illegal firearms near his village in 2012. All schools in the area have been closed since the beginning of last week—as they have been across Maungdaw District—and local government staff have fled along with more than 100 Buddhist Arakanese residents, although Ah Lel Than Kyaw village tract has remained peaceful. Zaw Htoo said that the manhunt conducted by police and the army across the township would continue to prove challenging, due to the militants' purported ability to blend in with the local Muslim community, and the reluctance of local Muslims to work with Burmese authorities. "It is hard to know what is going on in their community," he said. On Friday, the President's Office announced that four suspects connected to the Oct. 9 attacks had confessed to belonging to an Islamic militant group called Aqa Mul Mujahidin, linked to the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (a group considered defunct since the 1990s), and to having received funds from outside terrorist organizations and wealthy individuals in the Middle East with the goal of radicalizing local Muslims and occupying parts of northern Arakan State. The post Food Price Hikes, Livelihood Restrictions in Maungdaw as Manhunt Continues appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Maungdaw Police Chief Replaced Posted: 17 Oct 2016 02:53 AM PDT  Minister of Home Affairs Lt-Gen Kyaw Swe in Maungdaw District on Monday. (Photo: Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy) MAUNGDAW, Arakan State—Burma's Minister of Home Affairs has replaced the Border Guard Force police chief of Maungdaw District over the recent fatal attacks on three border guard outposts in the area. The Minister, Lt-Gen Kyaw Swe, told the media that he had appointed Thura San Lwin as a successor to Maung Maung Khaing during a tour to the township in northern Arakan State on Monday. "I am really not pleased with what happened, so I replaced the leadership at once," he said. "I have appointed a person who I can trust," said the minister. "He [Thura San Lwin] has experience from fighting Communist armed groups and he will be in charge of operations." Lt-Gen Kyaw Swe, a serving army officer who was appointed to head the military-controlled Ministry of Home of Affairs by Commander-in-Chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, made a series of hardline statements seemingly intended to rally nationalist sentiment. He blamed the Muslim community of northern Arakan State, who mostly identify as Rohingya and form the overwhelming majority in Maungdaw District, for encroaching on the Buddhist Arakanese community by having too many children, with the men taking up to “four wives” each. "We will protect our ethnic people,” he said, under a definition that excludes Muslim Rohingya, who are not considered “ethnic” by the Burmese government. “We want our ethnic people to have freedom. I want to ask them [Buddhist Arakanese] not to leave their villages. If they leave, other people will come to take their place," he said, referring to perceived Muslim encroachment. He also called for the many Buddhist Arakanese who have migrated to work in other parts of Burma, such as the jade-rich area of Hpakant in Kachin State, to return to Arakan State and “protect their land.” Fatal attacks on border guard police posts on Oct. 9, followed by a manhunt focused on Maungdaw District, has led to several dozen deaths among police, Burma Army soldiers and militants suspected of looting 51 guns and thousands of ammunitions from the three outposts. On Friday, Burma President's Office announced that the attacks were reportedly masterminded by a Taliban-trained militant with an affiliation to the long-defunct Rohingya Solidarity Organization. Lt-Gen Kyaw Swe said on Monday that 16 suspects have been detained and are being interrogated. Based on intelligence from interrogations, the army and police will launch more military operations in northern parts of Maungdaw, where other suspects are believed to be hiding. "The government has an obligation to bring all the looted weapons back," he said. "Therefore there will be more operations in northern Maungdaw," This article has been updated to include the home minister’s more hardline nationalist comments. The post Maungdaw Police Chief Replaced appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Late Thai King’s Confidant Confirmed as Temporary Regent Posted: 16 Oct 2016 09:54 PM PDT  Mourners enter the Grand Palace to pay their respects to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok, Oct. 17. (Photo: Chaiwat Subprasom / Reuters) BANGKOK, Thailand — A 96-year-old confidant of late King Bhumibol Adulyadej has been formally confirmed as the regent to manage the throne in the place of the crown prince and heir apparent, but it wasn’t clear how long the caretaker arrangement would last. In a speech late Saturday, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said that Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn invited him and regent Prem Tinsulanonda for an audience to discuss the situation "as his royal highness was deeply concerned for the Thai people during this time of national bereavement." Prem heads the Privy Council, a body of advisers to the monarchy, and was the closest adviser of Bhumibol. He is also known to be close to Bhumibol's highly popular daughter Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. Vajiralongkorn, who should have ascended the throne, has asked for more time to grieve along with the nation before taking over the monarchy. The constitution dictates that the Privy Council head be the regent in such a situation. "His Highness’s only wish is to not let the people experience confusion or worry about the service of the land or even the ascension to the throne because this issue has the constitution, the royal laws and royal traditions to dictate it," Prayuth said in his message broadcast on television. The 64-year-old crown prince implores everyone to help each other get through the grief first before thinking of his ascension to the throne, Prayuth said. "Once merit-making and the cremation has passed …then it should be the right time to proceed. This procedure should not impact the work plan or any steps," he said. No date has been set for the cremation, which in royal families is usually months if not years later. Officials have suggested it would be at least a year. Buddhist funeral ceremonies have already begun at the Grand Palace complex in Bangkok’s historic center where Bhumibol's body is kept in an ornate hall for the royal family members to pay respects. The hall will be opened to the public on Oct. 28. Analysts say the question of succession is important because the late king had been the unifying glue that had held Thailand's often fractious politics together, and diffused tensions during crises when the dominant military was pitted against the civil society. While the institution of monarchy is generally revered and respected in Thailand, it is more so because of Bhumibol’s popularity that no other royal member commands. "His death means that the Thai political system must find an alternative focal point around which to unite the country's factionalized population," said Tom Pepinsky, a Southeast Asia expert at Cornell University. For ordinary Thais, succession was not particularly top on their minds for now as they were consumed by grief at the loss of a man many saw as their father and a demigod. Tens of thousands of people are thronging at the palace complex to pay their last respects to a beloved monarch who dominated the memories of generations of Thais. Authorities have allowed people to enter the complex for a limited time, and only to sign condolence books in another hall. The king of Bhutan is also expected to visit later Sunday. Bhumibol's death after 70 years on the throne was a momentous event in Thailand, where the monarch has been glorified as an anchor for a fractious society that for decades has been turned on its head by frequent coups. Over the past 10 years, Thailand has suffered particularly intense political turmoil pitting arch-royalists against those seeking a redistribution of economic and political power, allied with Thaksin Shinawatra, a populist prime minister ousted in a 2006 coup. But in recent years, Bhumibol had suffered from a variety of illnesses and seemed far removed from the upheavals of Thai politics, including the 2014 coup that brought current prime minister, an army general, to power. A one-year mourning period for the government has been declared together with a 30-day moratorium on state and official events. But no substantial demands have been made of the private sector. The government has only urged people to refrain from organizing entertainment events for a month, apparently mindful of the need to ensure that the sputtering economy, which relies heavily on tourism, does not suffer too much. The post Late Thai King's Confidant Confirmed as Temporary Regent appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
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